"Here, Miss Anna. I'll give you this dress. My brother brought it from Athens. It will look better on you ..."
Anna ate, and ate, realizing she had not eaten since leaving the monastery.
"Are you ready?" Christomanolis asked.
"Yes," she finally said.
They helped Anna down the steep steps to the basement, directly under the living room floor, and covered the only entrance and exit by moving over a large chest full of handmade blankets. Anna lay on a blanket next to an enormous Minoan-style vat full of olive oil and wondered if Irene was safe. She checked to see if the valuable envelope was still in the side of her underpants.
***
A loud knock came at the front door.
"Who is it?"
"Open up!" came the harsh reply.
Sophia ran to the children and Christomanolis went to open the door. "What brings you here, Phobos?" he asked.
"Let's say I couldn't sleep. Some people just won't let me sleep. Did you know the distillery burned down? There were two women in there. We caught one running in the streets.
You know her, Irene Blackmichael."
Anna bit her fist to avoid crying out, but could not help herself.
"What is that sound?" Phobos asked.
"You must have woken up the children." Just then a little girl, no more than six, came and hugged Christomanolis. "I see," said Phobos.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"I heard some noise, Papa."
"It is nothing, little one; just go back to bed."
"All right, Daddy."
"I will send for you in the morning
Christomanolis. You must be interrogated."
"You are not the government, Phobos."
"But we will soon be! You see,
Christomanolis, the Germans will overtake Crete in no time. They will kill, capture, or just push the British and their allies out of Crete." Phobos assumed a pose of superiority. "And what about you, Christomanolis ..." He came close to Christomanolis'face and snarled, "And then ..." He snapped his fingers. "And then, you'll be at our mercy."
"What are you telling me, Phobos?"
"Come to our side, Christomanolis. It is the only side." He then started lecturing, "The side of all the peoples of the world, under the umbrella of Greater Mother Russia."
To emphasize his point, he pounded the wooden floor with his boot heels and paced back and forth. Every step sounded like a hammer blow above Anna's head. As she leaned close to the wall to hear what was being said, he continued, "We are the future of the world, the hope, the aspiration, and the salvation of the young. Revolution on every front, a world of equality." Raising his hands up, Phobos shouted, "All the workers of the world will be united! Oh, and what a mighty power that will be! All the power will be given to the people!"